Auto heel rest



F. PHILIPPS.

AUTO HE EL REST. APPLICATHIN FILED.SEPT- I6. 192!- 1,41s,9 8, PatentedJune 6,1922.

Tran/i fllz'lz'ppd 6H0: new

near i tries.

AUTO HEEL BEST.

Application filed September 18, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Prnnrrrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hammond, in the county of Lake and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Auto Heel Rests, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to heel rests or devices for supporting the heel of the foot to relieve the ankle of strain incident to maintaining the foot in an upward tilted position. I

An object of the present invention is to provide a heel rest of this type adapted particularly for use upon the foot or toe hoards of automobiles and which may be stamped from a single blank of such construction that the blank may be turned over in different directions and at diiierent angles to accommodate feet of different lengths and to accommodate toe boards of different inclinations and various other different angular and length adjustments which are met with in the installation and use of heel rests: all such characteristics being embodied in a single piece uniformly stamped blank.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a heel rest of-this type which supports the heel substantially at the back thereof instead of on the bottom and thus permits a relatively free and unresisted swinging of the foot for operating clutch and brake pedals. accelerator buttons and levers, and other foot controlled means on a motor vehicle or the like.

A still further object of the invention is to protect the floor of the automobile against wear incident to the constant rubbing of the heel on the same spot of the floor; to aid new drivers in locating their heels in proper position to operate the accelerator and other devices in the operators compartment of an automobile, and to'maintain the heel in such proper position during driving; and to assist in holding the foot steady and in position upon the accelerator when driving over rough roads andwhen subjected to violent vibrations where steadiness of the foot is essential to the smooth running of the engine.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a heel rest of this type which has no movable parts and which at the same time ably supports the foot and permits of the free movements thereof to the desired extent.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 6, 1922.

Serial N0. 501,925.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refor to like or corresponding parts through out the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the operators compartment of a motor vehicle illustrating the application of foot rests constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a foot rest constructed according to the present inventlon;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken through the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; c

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a slightly modified form of heel rest;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken through the same on the line 5-5 of Fig.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a further modified form of heel rest;

Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the same taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the novel form of blank from which all of the above modified constructions may be made.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of still another modilied form of the heel rest.

Fig. 10 is a transverse section taken through the same on the line 10-1O of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a similar view disclosing a still further modified form: and,

Fig. 12 is a similarv view showing another modification.

Referring to the drawing, and first to Fig. 8. the heel rest comprises a single sheet of metal of suitable thickness and proportions to form a rectangular oblong base plate 10 having within opposite ends openings or perforations 11 adapted to receive attaching screws or the like for securing the base plate to the toe. board 12 of a motor vehicle, such as shown in Fig. 1. The blank is constructed with a flange part 13 whichis integral with one longitudinal edge of the base plate 10, the flange 13 being connected to the base plate by a relatively narrow integral neck portionl l provided by slits 15 formed in the opposite end portions of the blank and which terminate at their inner ends in spaced apart relation.

The flange 13 is adapted to be bent to one side or the other of the base plate 10 at the desired angle with respect to the base plate so that the flange 13 may engage against the rear edge of the heel of a shoe, and the free ends of the flange 13 are adapted to be rounded or bent up to the general configuration of the shoe heel toform tongues or flanges 16 between which the shoe heel may rock.

In Figs. 2 and S, the blank is shown as bent to form one type of heel rest and wherein the flange 13 is bent over upon the base plate 10 in such direction that when the base plate is secured to the toe board 12 flange 13* rises from the rear or remote edge of the base plate. In this case. the tongues or wings 16 are curved upwardly from the ends ofthe flange 13 to substantially overhang the base plate 10. In such case, the base plate 10 forms a wear plate to protect the toe board of the vehicle against rubbing action occasioned by rocking and shifting of the heel. and the flange 13 is set back upon the base plate to accommodate a rela tively long foot.

In Figs. 1 and 5; the flange 13 is bent over upon the base plate 10 in a direction opposite to that shown in Figs. 2- and 3 with the result that the flange 13 rises from the forward edge of the base plate 10" to accommodate a relatively short foot and the tongues or wings 16 project forwardly from the base plate.

Another slight: modification is shown in Figs. 6 and 7 wherein the base plate 10 has the flange 13 rising from the rear edge thereof at substantially a right angle with the tongues or wings 16 engaging across the upper face of the base plate lo It is thus seen that the flange 18 may be bent over upon the base plate 10 at any desired angle to accommodate the position of the base plate upon the toe board or foot board of the automobile and to also accommodate various desired inclinations of the toe board or at which it is desired to support the foot.

The form of the invention shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is somewhatsimilar tothe form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 with the exception that the base plate 10 is substantially of triangular construction and that its opposite sides diverge along the lines of the flanges 16 and that the base or wider portion of the plate extends forwardly of the flanges. This form of the invention provides a relatively large base plate which protects the floor and also secures the flange 13 rigidly in upright position.

In Fig. 11 the base plate 10 is provided with a flange 13 which is bent up at an obtuse angle from the rear edge of the base plate and which has the side flanges or wings l6 flaring upwardly as shown. but

which are enlarged at their'lower edges to of the automobile.

follow the plane of the base plate 10 The wings or flanges 16 may thus be welded or otherwise suitably-secured to base plate after the blank has been stamped and bent to form. In the form shown in Fig. 12 the base plate 10 is bent upwardly at its forward end portion upon a transverse line of bending which registers, substantially. with the edges of the wings 16 for the purpose of accommodating the base plate 10 to the angle between the toe and foot boards in the operators compartment of the automobile.

It is of course apparent that various shapes and configurations may be given the blank to vary the sizes and shapes of the base plate the flange and the wings to provide for various conditions met with in the application of the foot rest to vehicles of diflerent types. In Fig. 1,-the structure of Figs. 6 and 7 is shown in place. The blank of Fig. 8 is relatively simple and is so out and'proportioned that after it has been cut it may be subsequently bent over and shaped to meet various conditions of automobiles of different types so as to readily adapt the heel rest to all makes of automobile vehicles and to also permit the adapting ofthe heel rests tov base portion to provide a heel support for a shoe of one length and adapted to be'bent over to the other side of said base portion to form. a rest for a shoe of" a different length, blank having perforations in the base portion'through which attaching means may pass and the base portion being adapted to be secured to the floor board of an automobile with said flange portion rising therefrom to engage the heel of a shoe;

2. A. heel rest blank comprising a sheet metal body cut to provide abaseportion and a flange portion, said base portion being adapted to be secured to the floorboard of an automobile and said flange portion being adapted to be bent over toward either side of the base portion and the flange being adapted to be bent into variousangular relations with respect to the base portion to accommodate inclinations of the floor boards 

